That barren stretch of form doesn’t owe to a lack of form, but rather a lengthy spell on the sidelines. An ankle injury suffered last summer meant she didn’t race beyond July and she only returned this April.

“It’s a big relief,” she told Cycling Weekly. “I didn’t have the best preparation coming into the season and I had to refocus a lot of my goals and this was definitely one of them.

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“It was realistic to target this race and go into it as one of the favourites. When Lizzie didn’t come, it left the race wide open and became realistic that I could win it.”

Barnes beat her sister on the line in a disorganised finish that wasn’t devoid of a few tussling tactics. “Coming into the last corner, with 300 metres to go, it was messy and it was a drag race,” she added. “Thankfully it opened up, Alice started the sprint and I was able to use her as a mark.”

She said: “I’m really happy. It’s not bad losing to my sister. She went through quite a tough time last year with her broken ankle and she’s worked hard to get back to full fitness. Obviously I’d like to win it but I got the U23 jersey so we both have one which is nice.”